Photos by Jeff Roberson/Associated Press
The Grizzlies’ Jerryd Bayless (top), and the Chicago Bulls’ Jimmy Butler chase a loose ball during the first half of the Grizzlies’ preseason opener in St. Louis. With Memphis experimenting with lineups, the Bulls took advantage for a 106-87 win.

Memphis Grizzlies' Tony Gaffney, right, tries to grab a pass intended for Chicago Bulls' Mike Dunleavy during the first half of an NBA preseason basketball game Monday, Oct. 7, 2013, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

ST. LOUIS — The Grizzlies' first test after studying new coach Dave Joerger's principles for a week came in the form of a Chicago Bulls squad expected to contend for a championship.

Before the game tipped off, the Griz figured to earn an incomplete.

Joerger said during training camp that he would use the preseason to smooth out wrinkles in the team's up-tempo offense and evaluate lineup combinations. He didn't waste time opening up the chemistry lab.

Tony Allen, Tayshaun Prince, Quincy Pondexter and Marc Gasol did not play. The core players who did were done for the night midway through the third period as the Griz lost 106-87 to the Chicago Bulls in their preseason opener Monday night in the Scottrade Center.

The third quarter is also when the Griz made the most errors, committing seven of their 20 turnovers.

"I told you there were going to be mistakes," Joerger said.

Chicago was leading 59-56 when it went on an 11-2 run. Memphis trailed by 14 points entering the fourth quarter. The Grizzlies, who shot 43 percent and had just two fast-break points, fell behind by as many as 22 points.

"Defensively, we let it go in the third quarter," Griz point guard Mike Conley said. "Our offense ran smoothly at times, but we have to get more comfortable when teams pressure us. I thought our pace was really good. We didn't get enough fast-break points to indicate that, but we got into our sets early."

Conley, Jerryd Bayless, Mike Miller, Zach Randolph and Kosta Koufos started for the Griz. Nick Calathes, Ed Davis and Jon Leuer were the primary backups in the first half until the Griz faced foul trouble.

Davis entered halftime with four and Calathes had three.

The game was largely competitive even after the Griz jumped out to a fast start. Memphis made its first five shots and led 16-6, but Chicago's defense and favorable free-throw disparity helped the Bulls close the gap.

The Grizzlies demise coincided with Conley, Miller, Randolph and Koufos leaving for good late in the third quarter.

"They picked up their level of intensity and we floated in and out of the quarter," Joerger said. "Mentally, we got softer."

Bayless' 15 points led the Griz, who got 13 points from Davis.

There were times when the game had a regular-season feel.

In one sequence after halftime, players from both teams dived on the floor on both ends of the court without a foul called. However, there were plenty of whistles in this one.

Miller even received a technical foul from referee John Goble after disputing a traveling call. Miller jumped to make a pass and Goble said he landed before releasing the ball.

Joerger mostly complained about the free-throw disparity that favored the Bulls. At one point, Joerger held a statistical sheet on the sideline and yelled to a referee: "The Bulls have 35 free throws."

The official's retort was "It's doesn't matter."

"It does matter," Joerger snapped.

Chicago finished with 43 free throws compared with 29 for the Griz.

"It was a good test," Randolph said, "because the Bulls are going to guard you."

Hot topic

Pace is a point of emphasis for the Griz under Joerger so it's no wonder that the coaches repeatedly yelled at Calathes whenever he walked the ball up the court. Assistant coach Duane Ticknor implored Calathes to run several times.

"I saw a lot of chances we have to evaluate and get better at," Joerger said. "Cutting, rebounding there are things that we can physically do with repetition in practice. I was impressed with our first half. Our pace was good. But if you're going to run, it takes everybody. Everybody's got to run."

Spotlight

Jon Leuer stood out in his 23 minutes. He made 4 of 9 shots for nine points to go with five rebounds and four assists. Leuer also made a couple of steals.

"I like the offense a lot. It gives the bigs a chance to catch the ball at the elbow and make plays," Leuer said. "I was able to get some shots and get into a rhythm."

The other guys

Bulls point guard Derrick Rose had 13 points in his second game since returning from knee surgery that kept him out all of last season. Rose was a locomotive, charging hard to the basket most times he had the ball.

Rose ended up with 10 foul shots in 23 minutes.

Carlos Boozer led the Bulls with 16 points.

That's what he said

"I was very excited to be on the court. Playing with these guys makes the game so much easier. Coming into the game I had a lot of adrenaline." — Calathes on playing 26 minutes. He had eight assists and three turnovers. .

Miscellany

Willie Reed, who played for St. Louis University, received warm applause when he checked in to the game in the second quarter. The Griz announced Monday that they will have a free public practice Saturday at 1 p.m. in FedExForum.

By the numbers

7: The game had seven lead changes and seven ties before the Griz faded in the third period.

12: The Bulls' rebounding edge (43-31).

14: The Grizzlies' 3-point attempts. They made five.

Got next

Grizzlies vs. Dallas Mavericks, Wednesday, 7 p.m., FedExForum. This will be the second preseason contest for both teams; they each began the exhibition schedule Monday night with a loss.